Strong Core

Dr. Iris Nafshi
  • 5.0 (2)
  • FITNESS
  • SERIES

Strong Core is a podcast for mother-athletes who are figuring out who they are beyond the roles they play. Through honest conversations, we explore what it takes to pursue big goals while staying grounded in who you are at your core.

Season 1

  1. EPISODE 1

    From “I’m Too Far Gone” to World Championships, Rachel Kippenbrock’s Comeback Story

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Strong Core, Rachel Kippenbrock (@rachelkipp), a mom of three training for three Ironman 70.3 races plus a major summer bike challenge, shares what it really looks like to pursue big athletic goals while raising a family. Rachel talks about 4:30 AM workouts, feeling stretched thin, and the courage it takes to ask for help and set boundaries. This is a conversation about identity shifts, motivation versus habit, grief, growth, and the truth many women need to hear: you can have it all, just not all at once.  If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this.  Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport.

    57 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Queen of Pain: Marjaana Rakai on Joy, Grit, and What Endurance Sport Gives You That Nothing Else Does

    Send us Fan Mail Marjaana Rakai (@tiredmomruns) grew up in northern Finland, training to be an Olympic cross-country skier. Then she hurt her back, moved to Norway, met a Canadian on a ski exchange, and spent the next two decades raising three kids across four continents, with no village or extended family nearby and a husband who traveled the world for work. Triathlon saved her. Literally. In this episode of Strong Core, Iris sits down with Marjaana, Ironman World Championship qualifier, coach, expat mother of three, and COO of @Athletica.ai,  for a conversation about what endurance sport gives you that nothing else does, and why mother-athletes keep coming back to the start line even when life makes it almost impossible. They talk about the Olympic-distance triathlon in Rio, which reminded her she had forgotten how to have fun. About training for Ironman Worlds with her bike in the kitchen so she could ride six hours and still be present for her kids. About the moment she said no to Kona, and what her youngest son said when she came home, that she will never forget. About finding your tribe through bike rides instead of expat lunches. About perimenopause and the unexpected freedom of not recognizing your body anymore,  and caring a lot less about what anyone thinks. About javelin throwing. About the 15-minute run between meetings, and why showing up small is an act of self-trust. And about what her coach told her at kilometer 25 of the Ironman marathon — welcome the pain — and why she ran the last 17 kilometers faster than the first. Marjaana's closing words to every mother who wants to start but is scared: Joy is right outside their steps.  If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this.  Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport.

    1h 2m

  3. EPISODE 3

    When "Just Finishing" Isn't Enough: Caitlin Thompson on Competing, Belief, and Going After More

    Send us Fan Mail She didn’t start as an elite athlete. She started as a mom, rebuilding her identity. In this episode, Caitlin (@caitlin.thompson.tri) shares how losing one path led her to discover something deeper, a fire she couldn’t ignore. What began as a weight loss journey turned into a relentless pursuit of what she’s truly capable of. We talk about the moment everything shifted, from simply wanting to finish to choosing to compete, and what it takes mentally to stay in the race when things start to fall apart. This is a conversation about belief, identity, and the courage to go after more, even when you’re not sure you deserve it yet. If you’ve ever felt the pull toward something bigger, this one will stay with you.  If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this.  Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport.

    59 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    It’s Not Either Or: Pro triathlete Meg Dirito on Identity, Discipline, and Joy

    Send us Fan Mail Pro triathlete Meg Dirito (@dirito21) is a mom, ER vet, and pro triathlete, and she refuses to choose just one identity. In this episode, she shares what it looks like to hold all of it, the structure, the chaos, the discipline, and the grace. From losing herself in early motherhood to rebuilding a life that includes everything she loves, this conversation is about doing hard things without letting go of who you are.   If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this.  Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport.

    56 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    "It's Just a Hill, Get Over It" — Kerry Blackmer on Kindness, Adaptive Racing, and the Art of Showing Up

    Send us Fan Mail Kerry Blackmer (@kl_blackmer) is a five-time full Ironman finisher and a mom. In this episode, she opens up about what it really takes to keep showing up — through injury, motherhood, and everything in between. She started running marathons at 22 because someone told her she couldn't. She came to triathlon through friendship, trained through pregnancy, and never really stopped. Then one afternoon at her daughter's elementary school, racing a group of kids, her hamstring snapped off the bone. Just like that, the goal changed. What happened next says everything about who Kerry is. She didn't spiral. She showed up to the gym, got stronger than ever, and found gratitude in a body that was healing. When she came back to the pool, she came back with the same quiet certainty she brings to everything, including the adaptive athletes she pushes across finish lines every single weekend. We talk about training around a full life, what turning 50 quietly liberates, and why her daughter's handmade bracelet means more to her than any Ironman medal. And yes, we talk a little about guilt too, because what mother athlete doesn't? Kerry is the Frederick County Chapter Leader for Athletes Serving Athletes (ASA) — a nonprofit that empowers people with limited mobility to train and race alongside volunteer runners. If you're in Frederick County, Maryland and want to get involved, the link is in the show notes. "I have to remind myself that it's okay to be someone outside of being a mom. Being a mom is one part of me — it's not everything." — Kerry Blackmer  If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this.  Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport.

    46 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    What If Motherhood Is the Thing That Makes You a Better Athlete? Coach Carly Has the Answer.

    Send us Fan Mail Carly (@coach.carly on Instagram) has been coaching Ironman athletes for 12 years. She had the data, the experience, and the athletes who proved it was possible. Then she had her own babies, got cleared at six weeks, and thought: That is absolutely not happening. Everything she knew got tested in a way no coaching certification prepares you for. What she discovered confirmed what she'd been seeing for years. The moms juggling the most, the least sleep, the tightest windows, the heaviest mental load, were often the ones hitting their best performances. Not despite everything on their plate. Because of it. In this episode, Carly and Iris get into the specifics of how that actually works. The postpartum PR reframe that stops you from measuring yourself against who you were before. The ten-minute rule for when 'life is life-ing', as Carly calls it. The 2-Day Rule is just a gentle boundary that keeps momentum alive without punishment. Why doubling up missed workouts digs a fatigue hole you can't climb out of. And what athletic maturity really looks like, not in theory, but at 5 am after two solo weeks with a one and two-year-old.  Carly doesn't just coach athletes. She coaches mothers back to themselves.   If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this.  Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport.

    49 min

  7. EPISODE 8

    Sarah Whelan: She Almost Joined the Navy SEALs. Then She Became an Ironman.

    Send us Fan Mail Sarah Whelan is a special ed teacher, spin instructor, mom of three, and nine-time Ironman finisher. But the through-line isn't the race count. It's the girl who walked into a Marine recruiting office as a teenager, got laughed at, walked next door to the Navy, and still ended up exactly where she was supposed to be. In this conversation, Sarah talks about how athleticism became the thread connecting every role she plays, why giving back isn't something she does on the side but the engine that runs everything, and what it actually looks like to show up fully in the classroom, at the finish line, and at home. None of this happens alone. Sarah trains with Sonic Endurance under the guidance of coach Stacey Miller, and has been inspired and supported by Jess Kelly, her spinning colleague, friend, and the woman who first showed her what an Ironman mom could look like. This episode is a reminder that behind every woman showing up fully, there are other women lifting her. If you've ever wondered what "anything is possible" looks like lived out over a lifetime, this is your episode. If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this. Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport.  If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this.  Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport.

    1h 14m
  • 7 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Strong Core is a podcast for mother-athletes who are figuring out who they are beyond the roles they play. Through honest conversations, we explore what it takes to pursue big goals while staying grounded in who you are at your core.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Iris Nafshi
  • Episodes
    7
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Strong Core
  • Show Website
    Strong Core